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May 18, 2009

FAC hauls in 13 Gazette 'best of' awards

The Fine Arts Center took home 13 'Best of' awards from the Gazette. Congratulations to all!Best Art MuseumFine Arts Center(Readers' Choice)When it comes to the Fine Arts Center, Lee Bowers sums it up quite nicely: "Um. Wow!" After a $28.4 million renovation in 2006, the facility boasts both architect John Gaw Meem's stately Pueblo style and airy public spaces able to accommodate the enormous as well as the intimate. Voters cited the free admission days, Dale Chihuly's chandeliers, a solid permanent collection and ambitious traveling shows as reasons to visit again and again. "Better than the Denver Art Museum," wrote one fan, "who needs angled walls?"

Best Local ExhibitColorado Springs Abstract(Gazette Pick)The scope of this 80-piece survey is ambitious - from turn-of-the-century experimentation to contemporary renderings. Sure, there are heavy hitters, such as the tasty Motherwells you can spot from the broad doorway of the Fine Arts Center's El Pomar Gallery. But the real treat is to see local artists Betty Ross, Holly Parker, Bill Burgess and others hang in this august setting.

Best Museum ExhibitLife as a Legend: Marilyn Monroe (Readers' Choice)Despite a year of blockbusters at the Fine Arts Center - from an impressionists show in January to Pablo Picasso in July - this tightly focused traveling exhibit stood out with voters. Not unlike the delicious Ms. Monroe herself. The April 2008 offering included 300 Monroe-related photographs and works by such artists as Andy Warhol, Richard Avedon and Henri Cartier-Bresson as well as 15 local artists invited to participate in the show. It was fun, sexy, sad and, ultimately, a testament to our obsession with the unattainable.

Best Traveling ExhibitMikel Glass: The Discarded(Gazette Pick)It's big ideas in small packages. Sometimes literally. In this sprawling exhibition, the New York artist creates say-what facsimiles of throw-away objects as well as exquisitely painted canvases that play with notions of realism and the nature of art. All of this at our local museum. Amazing.

Best Use of MultimediaMikel Glass: The Discarded(Gazette Pick)It's hard to get your mind around New York realist Mikel Glass' curious work, which ran Jan. 17-April 19 at the Fine Arts Center. That's especially true of the series of handmade boxes that ape throw-away objects, such as express-mail boxes, with such detail that you can't tell the difference. Recognizing that the best convincer - touching it and seeing the wooden back - wasn't possible, the arts center put together a smart array of online and gallery media - including a slide show, a video on how he makes these pieces and an interview with the artist - to telegraph just how artful this heady work really is.

Best Artist You Do Not UnderstandTom McElroy(Gazette Pick)If you walked into Tom McElroy's recent exhibition at the FAC Modern, "Atomic Elroy's Hometown," you may have been puzzled. But you were unlikely to miss that, like much of his work, this video and installation piece is smart and meaningful, the pearl inside a particularly petulant oyster. To understand McElroy, you needed to spend time with the piece, wading into his complicated relationship with his hometown, Colorado Springs, and his love affair with the slippery nature of dadaism.

Best MusicalThe Full Monty(Readers' Choice)Fans couldn't stop laughing. They loved the singing, acting and special "ladies night" production. Some thought it should have gotten even more exposure, if you know what we mean.

Best MusicalDisney's Beauty and the Beast(Gazette Pick)Colorful costumes, a sparkling cast and one show-stopping number after another combined to captivate adults while introducing a new, young audience to the magic of theater.

Best CostumesDisney's Beauty and the Beast(Gazette Pick)How do you bring a wardrobe, a candelabra and a houseful of everyday objects to life? Easily, if you've got Elizabeth Fry's keen imagination and eye for detail. Why, she made even the Beast endearing.

Best ChoreographyThe Full Monty(Gazette Pick)Mary Ripper Baker's dance numbers are always a joy to watch, but in this testosterone-driven musical she really outdid herself, rocking the house with her contagiously energetic choreography.

Best Youth ShowWorking(Gazette Pick)Recognized for its intensive training program in the dramatic arts, The Youth Rep showed with this ode to American workers that it could produce work as polished and mature as any professional theater company.

Best Romantic RestaurantCafe 36(Gazette Pick)When this restaurant opened in the wake of the nifty Fine Arts Center expansion, it served some pretty food that was also pretty bad. But since Garden of the Gods Gourmet took over, the cafe which is now open for dinner and happy hour tapas as well as lunch, it has landed among the top lunch spots in town. The limited but creative menu is complemented by a romantic setting, particularly on the patio overlooking Pikes Peak.